EPA is preparing to extend key deadlines set by the Biden administration for reducing coal-fired power plants’ water pollution, according to a court filing Monday.
A proposal to amend the Biden administration’s water pollution rule for coal plants is undergoing review by the White House, per the filing from the Trump administration and a notice Monday from the Office of Management and Budget. EPA expects the new proposal, focused on compliance deadlines for plant owners, to be issued “shortly” and finalized before the end of the year, the filing said. Other aspects of the 2024 regulation will potentially be revised at a later date.
Last spring, EPA strengthened pollution standards for coal wastewater, requiring plant owners to install new technologies to virtually eliminate heavy metals and other harmful pollutants from three major waste streams. The rule gave the owners of coal plants until 2029 to comply, but they could also agree to permanently stop burning coal by 2034, so long as they notified EPA of such plans by Dec. 31 of this year.
That rule is now one of many affecting the coal industry under reconsideration by the Trump administration. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said that the planned rewrite of the rule will help ensure affordable, reliable energy.
